Federal, provincial and regional politicians marked the official opening of a Brampton affordable housing project for seniors Tuesday morning.
Snelgrove Place is a 94-unit affordable housing building located at 12065 Hurontario Street, just north of Mayfield Road. It opened in August and caters to seniors and persons with special needs.
Brampton West MP Kyle Seeback and Brampton West MPP Vic Dhillon joined Peel Region Chair Emil Kolb to represent their respective levels of government during the official opening ceremonies for the project that was financed through funding from the governments of Canada, Ontario, and Region of Peel.
More than $6 million in joint funding was provided through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. Federal and provincial funding was complemented by almost $13.9 million in municipal financial incentives from the region.
“Today’s event is great news for seniors and individuals with special needs in Brampton,” said Seeback. “This new project not only improves access to affordable housing and the quality of life of residents, but it also helps to stimulate the local economy.”
According to government officials, the construction project created up to 235 jobs.
“This project is great news for residents in Brampton,” Dhillon added. “Snelgrove Place provides a safe and affordable place for seniors to thrive independently within our community.”
The Coptic Patriarchate Church of Archangel Michael and St. Tekla provided the land for the housing project.
“Thanks to the collective efforts of public, private, non-profit and faith partners, we have successfully provided another 94 units of housing for seniors in our community,” said Kolb. “The Region of Peel looks forward to continue working with our federal and provincial partners to provide more affordable housing opportunities like Snelgrove Place.”
The apartment building features 83 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom units. Standard accessibility features in all units include grab bars in bathrooms and wider doors. There are three fully-accessible units and eight modifiable units.
The region operates and manages the building. According to the region, there are currently no vacancies left in the building.
The development has 62 subsidized units and 31 units offered at Market Rent prices. For subsidized or rent-geared-to income units, applicants are selected from the region’s centralized wait list.
This past April, the region reported the subsidized housing wait list stands at about 12,853 households. Depending on building choice, size, availability of unit and status, current wait times are at six to 11 years for families; nine years for singles; five to seven years for seniors; and one to three years for victims of family violence, the region reported.
The market rent units are priced at $762 for one bedrooms and $876 for two bedrooms. Anyone can apply for a market rent unit, but an applicant’s income and assets are considered when assigning a unit at Snelgrove Place.
The region is expected to add several hundred affordable housing units to its stock next year when three development projects, two in Brampton, are scheduled for completion. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 609 development, at 1155 Queen Street near Dixie Road, will have 200 units; Residences of Villa Polonia, near Steeles Avenue and Mavis Road, will have 225 units; and the South Parade Court development in Mississauga, near Creditview Road and Eglinton Avenue, will offer 250 units.